Season expands into fall

By Michael Johnsen

While the need for weight loss is year-round in a country where 1-out-of-every-3 adults is considered obese, the business of weight loss still is seasonal. The first few weeks of January see a spike from the guilt-laden who had over-indulged during much of the holidays. That demand peters off slightly until just before bikini season in the spring.

A third spike now is seen in the back-to-school period. “We’re seeing in certain states right before school starts a little bit of lift in August [and] September,” noted Michelle Douglas, brand manager with Iovate Health Sciences.

Lifestyle management company Weight Watchers — which recently nabbed Walgreens chief innovation officer Colin Watts — also has identified fall-time advertising as a growth area, along with men who are interested in dieting. “September was particularly strong, benefiting from higher marketing investment and from continued interest in our products for both men and women,” David Kirchoff, Weight Watchers president and CEO, told analysts in November. “Men now account for approximately 15% of our Weight Watchers online sign-up volume in the [United States], despite the fact that our awareness with this population is still relatively low.”

Watts is now Weight Watcher’s SVP wellness and global innovation, and is in charge of consumer insights for the company. So that awareness among men will soon be on the rise.

The article above is part of the DSN Category Review Series. For the complete Diet/Weight Loss Buy-In Report, including extensive charts, data and more analysis, click here.